Preakness Odds 2015: Examining Lines, Payouts for Field at Pimlico
All eyes will be on Kentucky Derby winner American Pharoah, as the colt aims to take the Preakness Stakes and continue his Triple Crown bid Saturday. Although, the odds-on favorite won't have it easy.
American Pharoah will be tasked with winning the Triple Crown's middle jewel from the dreaded No. 1 post. To put the difficulty of emerging victorious from that position into perspective, only one horse—Tabasco Cat in 1994—has won from the gate since 1961, according to Preakness.com. That's not a good omen.
Making matters worse for Pharoah, he'll be attempting to avoid getting pinned against the rail with the big-bodied Dortmund just to his outside in gate No. 2. Meanwhile, Derby runner-up Firing Line has plenty of options at his disposal starting from the No. 8 gate.
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Will Pharoah and jockey Victor Espinoza make magic once more, or will we be waiting another year for a potential Triple Crown winner? As we await the answer to that question, let's take a look at the field's updated odds and expected Preakness purse payouts.
Preakness Post Positions and Odds
| 1 | American Pharoah | 10-13 | Bob Baffert | Victor Espinoza |
| 2 | Dortmund | 15-4 | Bob Baffert | Martin Garcia |
| 3 | Mr. Z | 25-1 | D. Wayne Lukas | Corey Nakatani |
| 4 | Danzig Moon | 14-1 | Mark Casse | Julien Leparoux |
| 5 | Tale of Verve | 50-1 | Dallas Stewart | Joel Rosario |
| 6 | Bodhisattva | 50-1 | Jose Corrales | Trevor McCarthy |
| 7 | Divining Rod | 20-1 | Arnaud Delacour | Javier Castellano |
| 8 | Firing Line | 17-4 | Simon Callaghan | Gary Stevens |
Preakness odds courtesy of Odds Shark.
Preakness Purse Payouts
| First | $900,000 (60%) |
| Second | $300,000 (20%) |
| Third | $165,000 (11%) |
| Fourth | $90,000 (6%) |
| Fifth | $45,000 (3%) |
Preakness purse payouts courtesy of TheTripleCrown.com.
Preakness Outlook
While American Pharoah will be contending with an unfavorable starting position and other strong competitors, one thing the colt likely won't have to worry about is the weather.
Earlier in the week, the forecast didn't look good for Pimlico, as afternoon thunderstorms were expected. Luckily, the probability of that happening has diminished. According to Weather.com, we're in for a cloudy, 84-degree day with just a 30 percent chance of rain in Baltimore, as of this writing. Those aren't bad racing conditions at all.
That's good news for Pharoah, as one slip early on a muddy track would swiftly end his chances of claiming the Preakness. After all, starting in the No. 1 position requires a swift jump from the gate and quick acceleration past the bulk of the pack in an effort to avoid getting pinned against the rail and falling behind early.
Pharoah has done most of his damage over his short career when he gets out in front early. He has the unique ability to set the pace and still salvage enough stamina to pull away from the pack when asked to run down the final stretch. Getting out in front early in the Preakness will be the key to his success.
If one horse is to thwart Pharoah's plans, it's Dortmund. A big, powerful horse, Dortmund is also capable of starting quickly. That's bad news for the Derby champion, as he's much smaller than Dortmund and could find navigating around the larger horse rather difficult.
Like Pharoah, Dortmund has the ability to set the pace of a race and go on to cross the finish line first. He wasn't able to do so in the Kentucky Derby, as he ran out of gas down the final stretch and finished third; however, the Preakness' shorter distance (a half-furlong or one-sixteenth of a mile) could be an advantage here.
Rounding out the race's top competitors is Firing Line. This colt proved to be a formidable opponent in the Kentucky Derby, running a near flawless race. He started nicely, settled into second position right behind Dortmund, maintained a good pace and salvaged enough stamina to give Pharoah a run for his money down the final stretch.
Firing Line drew the No. 8 gate for the Preakness and will have plenty of options in the onset of the race. He'll have a great chance to get into a good position to challenge Pharoah once again.
Of the newcomers to the Triple Crown, Divining Rod is a horse to watch. He's been a bit inconsistent during his short career but recently made strides in his three-length Coolmore Lexington Stakes victory. He showed a great deal of patience early in the race, holding his position against the rail before moving outside to burst past the pack for a decisive victory.
American Pharoah may continue to be the odds-on favorite, but keeping his Triple Crown hopes alive following the Preakness will be a difficult task considering the immense amount of talent in this small field of contenders.
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